


A Different Choice

by ToxicAngel13



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Bucky doesn't kill the starks, Done with it Rhodey, Genius Tony Doing his Thing, M/M, Mentioned for a Second, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Protective Tony Stark, this changes everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:27:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23709124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicAngel13/pseuds/ToxicAngel13
Summary: The 'Others' memories stopped the Winter Soldier's hand when it came to ending the life of the man that he had once known. Refusing to go back to the handlers, with the 'Other' stronger than ever the Weapon went to the only person that he wasn't under orders to kill that may be able to help. A teenaged Tony Stark steps up to help a Prisoner of War, and this changes everything.If You are viewing this on an app that has any sort of ad or subscription fee, please exit and use the website. That app? It's monetizing the works the writers of AO3 provide for free. It jeopardizes fanfiction everywhere.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 31
Kudos: 185





	1. Changing Awareness, Crying for Help

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I'm still working on my Untamed update- Between sewing masks and restructuring the chapter because I noticed too late that I missed a character that I promised to have in that scene it's a little slow going.
> 
> So... I decided to let this out of the hard drive of doom. It crawled it's way out of a notebook a while back and has just been sitting around. I had been typing it before I binge watched the Untamed and got sucked into that fandom lol

The Winter Soldier was a tool, a weapon to be deployed when someone needed to die. That fact was never hidden from it. The handlers who debriefed it on it’s current missions took pleasure in reminding the tool that as a weapon, all they needed to do was point it in the direction of the target and then release it. The Weapon would always return to the handlers because it was all that it knew. Unless it was a time where the Other reared his head. The Other was whoever the Weapon had been before Hydra had gotten it’s hands on it. Hydra tried it’s best to burn the Other’s memories away along with the Weapon’s missions, but the Other was stubborn.

  
When the Other was aware, handlers died before they could subdue him, because the Other hated Hydra. The Other may not remember the name he had, but he knew that before the Weapon existed he had fought against the people using him now. One such time was when a picture of Howard Stark, and his wife were handed to the Weapon during a debrief. The Other surged up at the familiar face, and suddenly the handler’s were dead. He was no where near the Chair, and the handler’s were strangely short handed this mission so the Other ran before more could come and subdue him. He couldn’t kill Howard. Wouldn’t. 

  
It was a very confused half weapon, quarter human, quarter blank slate that found his way to a 16 year old Anthony Stark. In another version of events the Other wouldn’t have appeared, and the Weapon would have eliminated the boys mother and father that night, but he had fought his way to the surface so the two were in fact alive. The Other had pushed the Weapon to avoid the pair in case the Weapon’s programming took over in fact. The teen was his only safe bet on that not happening though. Tony Stark hadn’t been slated to die that night, but he was to be acquired at a later time so he wasn’t in danger if the Other slipped under. The Weapon wouldn’t kill him, and it hadn’t been ordered to take him in to be trained either.

  
The teen was painfully young though- and something in the Other felt guilt over involving him in his FUBAR mess. Tony Stark had already experienced a lifetime of hurt under Howard’s watchful eye and it was obvious that he was Jaded by the world. His body language screamed that he didn’t trust easily, but for some reason the teen didn’t panic over the half weapon’s sudden appearance. Instead Howard’s child looked worried for the Other instead.

  
“Oh. Hey There, random person in my apartment. Is there something I can do for you- you don’t look so good there.” The teen asked in a soft tone upon opening his apartment door and finding the assassin huddled just inside of his home. He took in the comforter that was wrapped tightly around the shivering form of the Other with a sort of knowing look, but made no move towards him. The Other blinked at him, not understanding why there was no shouting. Someone should shout upon finding a person in their home right? The people he had been told to eliminate had always tried screaming. It took a few tries before the Other could answer him.

  
“This… Asset requires… I need help. Programming… This Asset… I don’t want to kill Howard and his Wife. He knew this Asset before the programming. He helped me, and someone this Asset knew. I can’t, please.. Help.” The Other stumbled over his plea, not able to put things together like he should. The teen’s eyes widened, and he shut the door behind him as quickly and quietly as he could. Slowly Tony stark kneeled down, bringing him to the Other’s level, before looking him over. The worry never left the teen’s face, but he looked a little scared now. Not for himself though. He was scared for Howard or his Wife, but not for himself when he had the Other right there in front of him. Tony was a strange teen. The Other would have to protect him if he wasn’t going to protect himself obviously.

  
“My old man and I don’t see eye to eye much, but thank you for resisting what ever has happened to you. I can’t imagine what you have been through, but I’m going to help you. Thank god that I have my own place though, I think this may take a while based on just listening to you.” The teen murmured, his voice still soft and steady. After a moment he inched closer to the shivering form. The Other held still as the teen approached him, not sure what to do. He hadn’t thought about what happened after he got here- he had just wanted to get away from where the Handler’s had him.

  
Work-worn fingers reached up, giving the Other plenty of time to move if he wanted to. He didn’t and the teen brought his other hand up as he first caressed where the muzzle the Handler’s made him wear met skin. Where it bit into his skin harshly to be more exact. Carefully the teen released the muzzle, before setting it aside on the ground. The Other refused to shift in place as Tony studied his face, even when the teen sighed and brought a hand up to his own face to rub the bridge of his nose.

  
“It figures that the one person that everyone had given up as killed in action would be the one that Hydra got it’s damn hands on. You did know my father- you punched him once because he was being an ass if I’m to believe Aunt Peggy. And I have to say that if you managed to survive, then Howard might not be so crazy in his search for your buddy. Your name isn’t Asset, or whatever the hell you’ve been told. It’s James Barnes and you have to have the longest record of being a POW. You went by Bucky to your friends and once we get you back on your feet people are going to shit themselves in excitement over your survival.” The teen informed him after he brought his hand down and then back up to the Other’s face to sooth the angry indentations that the muzzle had left behind. The Other… James shuddered a little at the gentle touch- leaning into it and trusting that he wouldn’t suddenly be slapped for some odd reason. There had been many handlers who had offered the weapon false comfort only to harm him when he tried to accept the comfort. Tony’s eyes took a sad look at the move, and he didn’t take his hand away.

  
“I’ll get my lawyers on to the whole you being declared dead thing before we let the general public in on the know, so you won’t have that fight either. Now… Let’s get you showered and warmed up- you’re shivering even while wrapped up in that blanket and that scares me a little since I have no idea how in the hell those bastards programmed or subdued you when they were not having you kill people. After that it’s to bed with you- you look exhausted and I happen to specialize in fluffy and warm bedding. As you could probably tell frpm the comforter you stole off my bed.” He soothed, his voice taking a teasing note that made something in James relax. It was… nice to have someone talk to him like he was a person, to tease him playfully and not with spite. He never wanted to return to the Handlers again, the thought had him freezing. This wasn’t over yet- just because he hadn’t killed Howard and his wife it didn’t mean another wouldn’t.

  
“Warn Howard first. They will assume that the Asset has been Neutralized and send another.” He pleaded, needing to know that he had done it. That he had kept Howard safe, and paid him back. Tony stared at him for a moment, his eyes searching and worried, before he pulled out a blocky item, he pressed a button on it, before bringing it up to his ear- his other hand still on James' face.

  
“Jarvis, it’s Tony. I need my parent’s on a security lock down, and I need it done as soon as possible. I have credible information that there is a hit out on them, and while Tonight’s attempt isn’t going to happen there will be other’s trying.” The teen said into the device, his finger’s stroking over the mark in an unconscious motion. He sighed as the other person responded, his face going tight. 

  
“It’s credible enough to do it, I promise. Hydra put the hit out- heads grow back and all that junk. No Jarvis, I haven’t hit my head, nor have I gone and done something stupid like taking drugs. Well I might have done something that you would think isn’t the brightest. Don’t give me that tone Jarvis, please. I have my reasons. The would be assassin is with me right now, and he’s not in good shape. He’s a victim in all of this, and from what he’s told me those assholes did some reprogramming or something. He’s fighting the programming, and is very much disassociated from his real identity at the moment.” The teen continued, trying to convince the person on the other end that he was being serious. He was getting frustrated by the questions he was having to answer- the Other could see it in his face. He made one of his hands let go of the warn blanket, and slowly brought it to the hand on his face, cupping it and Tony smiled at him.

  
“Jarvis, I know he’s not bullshitting me. I recognize his face. He knew dad, and that’s what made him fight the assignment. I’m going to fix him, I promised him that much. No it’s going to be me. He came to me, and we don’t know who the hell to trust right now. The people who had him are going to be looking for him or at least his body. One wrong move and he’s back in hell and he’s been there long enough. Just trust me, and lock my parent down for the foreseeable future.” The teen shot back, but his words warmed the Other more then the blanket around him.

  
“Damn it, if you’re worried about my safety then tell Rhodey to move in with me. I have a guest room, and I know that you pay him to look after me. No I’m not angry about that- better him then someone that I can’t stand. He’s stubborn enough not to let me get him anything nice anyways. Look, I know that I don’t have the knowledge to handle helping my new friend yet- but I will. You know what I’m like when I have a goal. The less people that know of my guest the safer he is in my opinion anyways. Jarvis, think about what you just said. He was supposed to kill dear old dad, there might be triggers in his programming. Finally. Thanks Jay, Love you too.” The teen finished, before hanging up with a sigh and a satisfied smile.

  
“Alright Jarvis, who is my childhood butler/bodyguard, has mom and Howard taken care of. He wants to meet with you when you feel up to it, but he knows it will be a while. Now to our list- once you’re clean and warm I’ll have some food for you and then it’s to bed. Tonight you’ll be in the guestroom, but after that we’ll have to work something else out since I all but agreed to have Rhodey move in with us in exchange for Jarvis not freaking out over you.” The teen informed the Other, who nodded, focusing on how that movement made the teens hand stroke his face. Touch that didn’t hurt was such a novel thing, and the Other.. James could see himself getting addicted to it.

  
“Understood. Jarvis is correct in having protocols in place in case this Asset should malfunction. It is acceptable. They do not wish harm to come to Anthony Stark- possible Asset anymore then Jarvis does though.” The Other grunted, when it became clear that the teen expected an answer. Tony winced at his statement, looking uncomfortable for the first time.

  
“That isn’t going to make Jarvis any more comfortable, but I understand why you came to me now. If you’re triggered you won’t kill me because they want me. Out of everyone you know in this world I am the safest one you could have approached.” The teen hummed. 

  
“Yes. This asset Neutralized Peggy Carter’s husband- It didn’t know the man, the Other couldn’t resist. Standing orders are to eliminate her, orders for Howard Stark and Wife also a risk.” The Other agreed. Tony’s hand stroked James' face again as he spoke, a determine glint entering his eyes as James tried to explain that he had killed a friend’s spouse.

  
“I have a feeling that I’m going to be repeating this a lot more once we start breaking your programming, but the people you neutralized? Their blood isn’t on your hands James. It’s on Hydra’s Sargent Barnes. “Tony said firmly, before his eyes went sad again. “I promise you that even Aunt Peggy would agree on that. Now. Shower, food then Bed mister. You’ve had one hell of a time and I need to get started on figuring out what I need to help you.” As he spoke he stood up, his hand finally leaving the Other’s face. A cold and lonely feeling shot through the half weapon at it’s loss. The hand stayed out though- an offering to help the Other to his feet. The half weapon took hold of the hand, and let himself be pulled to his feet. It was then that Tony shocked and confused him more. The teen hugged the Other. This felt better then the hand on his face had.

  
“I’ve got you Barnes, and I won’t let them have you back without a fight. Rhodey will probably be here in the morning- as soon as Jarvis tattles on us. That being said I expect Jarvis to add to my security detail, so don’t get worried about extra eyes on me if I don’t unless those eyes turn hostile. We will fix this, don’t you doubt it for a second.” The teen promised, his voice fierce as he buried his face in the Asset’s neck. This was strange, frightening and calming all in one gesture. It was also something that the Weapon had no experience with. The Other could remember something like this from Before, but nothing clear. Slowly one metal arm, and one flesh one rose, and folded around the shorter man- returning the embrace. This was… good. Unexpected but good.

  
“Thank you.” James murmered, feeling more the other and less blanks slate or weapon in that moment as another foriegn feeling crashed down on him. He felt weak for the first time that he could remember- but he could also feel the strength the teen was lending him. Tony’s arms tightened around him for a moment, before he pulled away and led the former Asset further into his apartment- his hand firmly in the other mans. The touch was grounding and something James didn't want to chance losing.


	2. Heart Attacks and Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This seems to have gotten off to a good start reaction wise. I thought about holding off posting another chapter for another day or do... but I am weak. I want to share my words.

When Jarvis called Rhodey, the young man expected the call to be a routine check in on Tony. When James first met the 14 year old he had decided the kid had a protector for life without the older man’s prompting. Tony was a genius- you couldn’t argue that, but he didn’t understand people in the slightest. And people were jackasses who wouldn’t hesistate in taking advantage of him. As seen by the 17 year old that had been on top of the then 14 year old. Tiberius Stone wasn’t afraid to try his hand at statatory rape, if his victem was as drunk as Tony had been, and he had been half way in the kid’s pants before Rhodey broke it up. The disgusting older teen had gotten a broken nose and arm for his trouble, and Rhodey hadn’t regretted doing it- ever.

  
When the paychecks had started arriving weekly, Rhodey had sent them all back. He wasn’t looking out for Tony to get paid after all. The kid was his friend. Jarvis returned them though, and that had led to a talk with the older man. The checks would keep coming since Rhodey was providing a service that Jarvis hadn’t been able to secure- Tony had a tendency to run off his minders apparently. Nothing Rhodey could say would stop them, so he put them in a separate account. He didn’t plan on using any of It on himself. But saving it, and treating Tony to a fancy meal here and there would easy the guilt of receiving pay to essentially be his friend. The call wasn’t a check in though, and what the older man had to say had Rhodey grabbing his gun and running out of his place in a heartbeat.

  
Tony. Sweet, stupid Tony had a fucking assassin in his apartment. One that had come to him instead of killing his asshole father. To make things worse the guy had been there overnight. Why the hell Jarvis hadn’t called him in sooner James didn’t know or understand. Tony could be dead for all the over protective helicopter butler knew. Fucking hell, this wasn’t what he had been expecting to do this morning!

  
He got to Tony’s place half expecting to find the kid dead. Instead, he found his friend making breakfast without a care in the world. A shaggy haired man was huddled in the corner of his kitchen, looking more like an abused dog then an assassin. The scene had Rhodey standing there with his gun pointed to the floor, confused about what he was seeing. Jarvis hadn’t gotten to explaining the specifics before Rhodey’s gut reflex had him running.

  
“Rhodey, if you threaten Barnes I will never forgive you. The guy spent the night under my bed after I had put him to sleep in the guest room. Let me get him fed, and then I will explain everything. Seeing as Barnes has claimed under my bed, the guest room is yours to use whenever. I need to get a higher bed of course, since mine wasn’t made to have a person sleep under it. But we’ll survive.” Tony both scolded the new arrival and chattered without looking up from what he was doing. James snorted, before putting his gun back in it’s holster and taking another look at Tony’s stray. 

  
“He’s not looking too good Tones. Just what the hell was this guy put through before someone tried having him kill Howard?” He observed, coming over to the breakfast bar slowly before sitting down. Tony snorted at his observation, looking up long enough to glare at him.

  
“No comments on his appearance from the peanut Gallery Rhodey. You wouldn’t look too hot after being held as a P.O.W./ Brainwashed assassin for 70 years either. He’s doing well. Don’t you dare make him slip. He’s dealing with his scrambled brains and what he was forced to do brilliantly in my opinion.” The teen defended the huddled man with venom in his voice. So Barnes, or whoever he was had managed to gain Tone’s protection. Considering the kid didn’t trust well, that in itself was a surprising without considering the potential connection to Howard’s obsession. Rhodey wasn’t going to be able to get the kid to give this guy up. That thought made him wince. Given what Tony had just implied, the guy had a lot to work through. This was going to be a job and a half.

  
“Damn it Tony. You attract interesting people, I’ll give you that much. I’ll get my stuff after we eat. We’ll need to see what we can do about your strays scrambled brains, but he’ll need therapy for everything at some point as well.” He muttered, looking away from the man in question. He sighed, before rubbing the bridge of his nose and looking at Tony as he went back to cooking.

  
“I know you called your stray Barnes, but who the hell is he really? Barnes died, remember? And the whole 70 years as a P.O.W. is throwing me for a loop as well, considering the age he looks.” He blinked as Tony gave him another unimpressed look, before the teens eyes wandered over to his stray- watching his reactions with concern.

  
“I don’t know how you can’t see it. He had this… awful muzzle on when I found him. I took it off, and I knew who he was right away. You know Howard’s obsession, he had plenty of pictures of Barnes too. He really is Sargent James Buchanan Barnes even if he can’t remember that is who he is yet. I’m not sure what they did to keep him at the age that he is, but I have no doubt that they could. As for who had him? Well if you’re going to be ‘protecting’ us, then I better tell you. Hydra had him all of this time, they are the only assholes that had access to where he fell besides our boys and the allies.” He informed Rhodey, without looking away from his stray. James felt sick to his stomach. Hydra was a nightmare only whispered about and Tony’s father’s obsession was supposed to have destroyed them. Obviously the almighty Captain America had failed if Tony was now hiding a P.O.W from them.

  
“We need more people protecting the two of you. Vetted and trusted.” He demanded bluntly. Tony was asking to be killed if he was going to go through with protecting this guy- and it was James’ job to keep that from happening. Tony only snickered at his statement, making Rhodey raise an eyebrow. He had expected some sort of protest from him, so this was surprising.

  
“I’m pretty sure that Jarvis is already working on that. He knows better than anyone what could happen if the people who had Barnes try to get him back. We owe it to him to make sure that doesn't happen. If that means you live with me, and more people are watching me I’m game.” The teen pointed out, before loading a plate of food. He looked over to his stray, before his gaze drifted to the table. The teen shrugged, before making another plate.

  
“You’ll have to get your own food Rhodey. Barnes and I are having a floor picnic.” Tony declared with a wink, before taking the two plates he had made and making his way to Barnes. Rhodey waited until the teen was settled, and had coaxed his new friend into eating before even moving. As he made his plate he could feel the wary dark eyes watching his every move. When Rhodey wandered a bit closer to the pair, the stray shifted. But he didn’t move away from Rhodey- instead he shifted so Rhodey would have to go through him to get to the teen, and that made the older man grin a little. During all of this Tony was chatting away, ignoring what was happening.

  
Rhodey gave a nod to the other man, but didn’t speak while he finished his plate. In fact he didn’t speak until he was sitting down at the breakfast bar- he had already pushed the other man’s boundaries with his moving around. There was no need to see if speaking to him when he wasn’t used to Rhodey would manage to trigger the other man. They had time to trust one another if this whole thing was going to work. Once he was sitting, the bets were all off though.

  
“You’re going to be okay Sargent.” He said pointedly to the other man, who hadn’t relaxed his position of guarding Tony even with Rhodey sitting down. Anyone who could see the kid needed protection was okay in his books though. To many people just assumed that the independent, too smart, sarcastic teen didn’t need support, and that pissed Rhodey off to no end. As he looked away to eat, he noticed Barnes nod.

* * *

  
Rhodey looked over to his room mates, observing them. It hadn’t been easy but Tony hadn’t backed down from the challenge of helping Barnes. Currently the teen had finished his assignments for the week and it was still Monday. Now he was surrounding by his project, and that was no small thing. Tony had researched the basics, then he had dived deeper. Since they couldn’t trust bringing outsiders in, Tony was thier best bet on this, as much as it pained Rhodey to admit. The kid soaked information in like a sponge, processed it, then came up with a plan of action almost without trying- his genius was a damn scary thing.

  
Barnes- still Tony’s Stray in Rhodey’s mind to be honest- was sitting on the ground by the teen’s feet watching the T.V. Tony hadn’t wasted any time in occupying the other man by having him catch up on pop culture, which meant Rhodey was also getting a Tony style lesson as the teen absorbed a Doctorates worth of information.

  
“Quit staring at me like a creeper Rhodey. I swear that after this is all done and over that I’ll take the time to make this official and test out of the classes..” Tony snarked from the couch. Barnes snickered at the put upon tone the teen had, proving that something the teen was doing was helping him. The man had been an emotional blank for the first week after his arrival, so progress was great to actually see even when they were a couple months into this by now. They weren’t done dealing with all of this- that would take time. It wasn’t something they could rush.

  
“I swear, only a Stark would get a Doctorates to help a headcase assassin.” Barnes chimed in, leaning over slightly to bump his flesh shoulder against Tony’s leg in an obviously joking manner. Tony waved a hand at him in dismissal- and the only reaction Barnes had was to grin.

  
“I’m not doing it for just any Headcase. You’re my headcase assassin and that makes all the difference Barnes.” The teen corrected playfully, his hand coming down and brushing over Barnes’ head absentmindedly. At the unconscious touch, the man who had been assigned to kill the teen’s parent’s perked up. Barnes always did that when Tony would make contact with him, and as amusing as it was to see it was also sad. That was a reaction to being touch starved- their new friend hadn’t had much touch- positive or negative during his time captive.

  
Tony was always more then happy to make up for that, though he didn’t always know what he was doing. The teen never hesitate to reach out and touch the guy- whether it was a brush over a body part in reach or a playful push. He didn’t treat the other man like he was a ticking time bomb, and that was probably helping him more than anything to be honest. Other then a couple tense moments, Rhodey was mostly amused by the interaction if he was honest with himself. Much of what he was seeing he had to do with Tony in the beginning of their friendship, so seeing it repeated back to help someone else filled him with a sense of pride. Barnes leaned into Tony’s hand, in an equally unconscious gesture- a soft look in his eyes.

  
“Whatever you say Dollface.” The former assassin murmured, eyes back on the T.V. The comment made Rhodey raise an eyebrow, but neither man seem to notice that it had been used. He did make a note of the fact that Tony didn’t move his hand from Barnes head this time though.

* * *

  
“Be honest with me for a moment here Barnes- and don’t you dare take offense to me asking because at this point you’re as much my person as Tony is and I have a right to worry. Do you think that you are ready for this? There isn’t a rush to get you back into public circulation, neither Tony or I want your progress to take a hit because it’s too soon. It’s damn amazing that you’ve come so far in so little time when compared to what you went through.” Rhodey asked in a serious tone. Barnes gave him a dry look, before rolling his eyes and adjusting the cap that hid his hair. Next came the sunglasses, and while someone may note the resemblance he had to the dead war hero, it was a pretty damn good disguise. He had decided not to take his name back, instead he was now officially James Maddox. In his opinion Barnes staying dead was a good thing.

  
The former assassin knew himself well enough to know that he had changed. He wasn’t Stevie’s best friend anymore- that man had died in the fall and the torture that came after it. Pretending that nothing was different would only be an insult to the fallen hero. There was too much innocent blood on his hands these days. Reviving the name wasn’t going to happen if James could help it.

  
He was James Maddox, Body Guard to a people stupid genius. Tony Stark was 24 now, had multiple Doctorates and had recently taken on his father’s company. Howard had Stepped away from Stark Industries under the advice of Obadiah Stane. James didn’t like the man, but he had done nothing to make him a threat, so he kept that to himself. Tony was heading to a Weapons Demonstration right now, and Rhodey was worried about how James would react to going out of the country into a war zone. While it was a valid concern, James was pretty sure that he could handle it.

  
“We have reworked the triggers those bastards put in me- at least the ones that we couldn’t find a way to remove completely, so I’m not worried that they can be used. I’ve been in public circulation and even reintegrated myself in society, you’ll do well to remember that. If I’m not ready to complete do my job after seven years of TLC from Doll Face then I’m pretty sure I will never be. I’m not the same stray that you met huddled in the kid’s kitchen Rhodey- you helped me recover too even.” He finally replied, looking at the other man. He didn’t know whether to be amused by his Mother-henning, or insulted that he felt he had to ask that. Rhodey snorted at his reply, amused.

  
“Relax Maddox, I wasn’t questioning if you could protect our problem child or implying that you can’t handle yourself. But this trip isn’t going to be sun shine and daisies. It could bring back traumatic memories that have nothing to do with your time as a P.O.W. You’re a vet, it happens.” He explained with just a little snark in his voice. Snark was a whole different form of communication to the three. James snorted, before checking his guns over- a small smile playing on his lips.

  
“Thank you for worrying about me Rhodey. I got this though, and if I get clingy when all of this is said and done you know as well as I do that Dollface won’t mind the extra cuddles.” He replied with an easy, teasing grin. Rhodey patted him on his back, before they got on to the private plane. Months later James would admit to Rhodey that he had most likely jinxed the trip with his nonchalant response. Rhodey of course would blame Tony and the Funvee.

* * *

  
When the IUD exploded James’ first reaction was to cover the man that he was protecting- not that it did much good in the aftermath. Then the movement stopped he lay panting over the disorientated genius, and the baby faced soldier that Tony had been taking selfies with was telling both of them to stay put. The former assassins felt a stab of annoyance at being ordered around like a civilian, but he listened to the man because of one thing. Tony had taken a good hit to his head, and the Genius’ ears had to be ringing. James watched as their escort tried to leave the wreckage… the kid lasted about 10 seconds before he was down.

  
Shit, this wasn’t just a case of the vehicle running into a pre-planted explosive device. This was an active attack, and they had no damn back up because Tony wanted to smart off and have a damn Funvee. James looked around the smoldering remains of the vehicle before cursing under his breath. They had to get out of this death trap- even if it meant walking into a firefight. If the gas and fire met, they would be dead anyway. Tony most likely had a concussion from that hit to the head, so it was on James to try to get them to somewhere safe. If that happened they could bunk down until help got here. He gathered the smaller man closer to him, then unholstered his gun.

  
Praying to a god that he wasn’t sure existed after his time being used by Hydra, James took a breathe to steel himself before exiting the wreckage. 20 seconds- he was counting in his head- later they were hit by an explosion and no matter how hard James tried to hold onto Tony they were separated. James ignored the ringing in his ears, and the pain as he immediately set to trying to get back to Tony. The smaller man was lying so still, and he was bleeding. There was a damn hole in his chest, and James felt panic set in. For once he wished for the cold and deadly calm of the Weapon back. He pressed his hands against the bleeding mess of a wound, hoping that he could slow the bleeding. Tony was going to die if he didn’t get it stopped. Suddenly everything went black as something smashed into the back of James’ head.

* * *

  
The next moment of awareness James had he heard Russian words being barked at him, and Tony groaning. Someone was trying to use the former weapon’s trigger words. Fuck, this had a connection to Hydra. He had brought this on Tony by wanting to finally live a fucking normal life, and he was never going to forgive himself. When he only looked at the speaker- glaring at him in response to the attempt to trigger the weapon the man shook his head.

  
James felt the sting of a needle piercing his neck, and started fighting against the cuffs that were immobilizing him. He couldn’t let himself go back under. He had to kill these assholes and get Tony somewhere safe. The drug still took him though, and eventually the world went black again.

* * *

  
Awareness was slow, and sluggish to return to James this time. And fuck, he was freezing. He could feel frost on his lips even as he was led to a Chair. At that realization, instinct kicked in, and he lashed out- feeling his elbow break someone’s nose. He didn’t let the cold and painful limbs he had bother him as he swung around and broke the asshole’s neck. The next few minutes were a blur of fear and fighting, but when it was over James was surrounded by blood and dead bodies. The only sounds were his panting, and electronic beeping from the various devices.

  
The shivering man glared at the Chair that had spurred him into action for a moment. There was no way in hell that he was letting anyone put him into that thing. Why he hadn’t been restrained still was beyond him though. They had to have known that he would have fought back if he gained awareness. But that probably mean that he didn’t have much time before he would have to kill someone else to keep free. He needed an evac, so that meant he needed a damn phone.

  
The time it took to look through the dead men’s pockets for a mobile seemed to last forever. But he found one that he hadn’t broken in the fight, and wasted no time in dialing the familiar number that belonged to Edwin Jarvis. While the older man took pride in his status as a butler, he was well connected. If anyone could get James out of here, it would be him.

  
“Hello?” The dry voice that James associated with Tony’s oldest protector answered after just a couple rings. James let himself relax just a little as relief hit him. He had made contact with someone who could help, things just might be looking up. 

  
“Jay. I kinda need an extraction ASAP. I do not know the status of Tony or Rhodes, but I’ve been the guest of my old… employers.” He said, knowing his voice was curt but unable to help it. There was a sharp inhalation on the other end of the line, showing James that he had been missed.

  
“Stay on the line James. I’m going to have Tony’s AI triangulate your location. Mr. Rhodes was unharmed in the ambush, and has been actively looking for you and Sir for the past 3 months. Do you know if Sir is anywhere at your location?” Jarvis asked, worry now clear in his voice. The other man hadn’t liked him too much in the beginning, but he had warmed up to James eventually. James sighed at the hidden hope that locating him would be bringing both the missing men home.

  
“I hope to god that he isn’t anywhere close to here, even if he was injured the last time I saw him Jarvis. It’s bad enough that the assholes had me on Ice. I can’t imagine what they would have done to him to condition him for reprogramming, I woke up to them leading me to the damn Chair after all. I’m pretty sure that there is no one left breathing here- no one had moved or tried to subdue me since I took care of the rest anyways. The extraction team should be prepared for hostiles in any case- I can’t be sure that a beacon to call in reinforcements wasn’t triggered. Damn it, Tony could be anywhere after 3 months. I’ll get him home though- just as soon as I’m out of here.” He replied honestly, knowing that while he was waiting he would be looking. He was sure that they had been separated though- it just was the matter of if Hydra had him or someone else.

  
“Don’t tell Rhodes I’ve made contact or been recovered, Tones needs him concentrating on his search.” He added as an after thought. Rhodes was his friend as well as Tony’s, the other man might be distracted if he knew James had made contact. Now that there was a plan of action he could feel panic crawling up his throat. Tony was still out there, and James remembered the injury that he had received. He remembered the blood between his fingers as he pressed against the wound. It had been three months, what if Tony hadn’t survived that? He kept the phone open as found something to distract himself from those thoughts. Falling into what ifs would help no one after all.

  
“Please keep yourself alive Mr. Barnes. Anthony would never forgive himself if he made if back from wherever he is being held only to find that you were taken back there and died rather than let them retake you.” Jarvis warned, making no promises about contacting Rhodes. James snorted at the warning. He knew that his genius wasn’t going to forgive himself period, because his promise that Hydra wasn’t going to retake James had been a constant since that first day when James was more weapon than human. Jarvis wouldn’t know the full depth of that though. 

  
He went to the computer first, sitting down and making his way into their servers. If he was lucky there would be some sort of information of Tony in here. If he found that, then he could bring Tony home. He tapped away at the keyboard, looking for anything remotely useful. Then he found it, and couldn’t stop himself from cursing under his breath.

  
“Shit. Jay, I need you to have Jarvis set up an ecrypted link to this phone.” He all but ordered, finding the cords to plug the device into the computer. “I need to send you what I just found as soon as possible- you’ll be getting the whole database in case there are things I haven’t found yet. I’m looking at proof that Stane is dirty. He is the one that ordered the hits on the Stark family- including Tony’s situation right now. He’s dealing weapons on the black market as well. Tighten security on Howard and Maria ASAP. They are next.” He added in a bark. Jarvis actually growled at his words.

  
“Ecrypted link established. Your location has been triangulated as well. You are in Siberia. A Stark Jet and security team has been dispatched to your location.” He replied tightly. James sighed.

  
“I’m going to find him and bring him home Jay. I promise.” He tried to sooth the older man, knowing that the stress wasn’t good for his heart. He had probably had his share of it months ago. Jarvis laughed softly at his words. As he spoke, he was still looking through the files as the database was sent across the link.

  
“I know that you will Sir. Anthony made the right decision when he decided to help you.” He replied. James’ felt a smile trying to form at that assurance- it was the highest praise that he could have gotten from the older man and he knew it. The smile died as he came across another file. The contents of it made him sick as much as it also gave him hope because Tony was alive, even if he was being hurt.

  
“Jarvis, I got a location on our missing boy. He’s still in Afghanistan. The people who have him sent a video to Stane and he forwarded it to these assholes. Apparently Stane had paid for Tones to be killed, but you’re already aware of their stance when it comes to him. The didn’t kill him, but they didn’t take him either- he was left in the hands of the locals that they had outsourced to. The locals wanted to negotiate their own deal with Stane and you can imagine how that asshole took it.” He breathed, reading through the information in the file as quickly as he could. Vomit crawled up his throat as he watched the video though. Tony was in bad shape- the locals who had him hadn’t bothered taking him to a hospital. He could hear Jarvis cursing and barking out orders as he gathered his own wits. This wasn’t going to be pretty, any sort of infection could have set in by now.

  
“Jay… Tones is in bad shape. I knew that he was wounded from the ambush- and that hasn’t been treated by professionals, but the wounds had to be worse then what I knew. He has a damn hole in his chest and leads to a damn battery coming out of it. He’s soaked in the video, so they have to be waterboarding him on top of that. Your extraction teams next stop is that damn desert.” James hissed as soon as he was able to make his mouth form the words. His response was the sound of glass breaking. If this was any other situation he might have teased the other man for letting his emotions lose from the iron control he normally kept them under. But damn it, he wanted to break something as well. The faces of each and every asshole who had hurt Tony for one.

“I understand sir. I will however be taking the liberty of detaining Mr. Stane so he cannot further jeopardize the Stark family. He had been pushing for motions to have Anthony legally declared dead. Howard has been blocking his efforts. With Anthony out of the picture, it makes sense that he would have plans to try to remove Howard and Maria again.” the older man spoke after a couple moments- his voice tight with rage. James didn’t feel an ounce of pity for the ass kicking that Stane was in for. 

  
The phone needed to stay connected for the transfer- but the sight of Tony’s condition reminded James of how fragile his genius was. He was in a place that had a solution for human fraility though- James just had to find a vial of it. That vial- that cursed serum- would provide a way for James to stack the deck in Tony’s favor when he got to him. The genius would survive this, even if James had to change him for that to happen. With that in mind he started looking for what he needed to do that.


	3. Refusing to Make Sacrifices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: All the reviews make my heart warm!!!

Tony tried not to glare at his cell mate as he worked on thier way out of here and obsessed over the plans that he was forming in his head. That asshole actually thought that Tony was going to let him sacrifice himself. The genius had realized that Yinsen’s family was dead during their talks. The Doctor talked about them like they were somewhere out there waiting for him to return to them, but something in his eyes said otherwise. They had been killed, and Yinsen intended to join them while he helped Tony get the hell out of these caves. Tony would be the first to admit that he was tired, and that death had seemed tempting a time or two when those monsters were pouring water over his face, but he couldn’t accept that. They were both going to get out of here and then kick terrorist ass together.

  
It was because he was too damn tired and worried about his assassin that he didn’t correct the other man’s misconceptions though. He didn’t want to argue with Yinsen about his plans to die when there was so much other crap to deal with. The man could chew him out after they were back stateside. Then he could get his act together and help Tony kick down Hydra’s doors until they found out where the jackasses had stashed Jaime.

  
Tony had to hold onto that conviction, because if he didn’t he was going to break into a million pieces before he got this armor done and out of here. His chest felt like it was on fire good days, he had been tortured and they were trying to force him to build them more weapons to hurt other people. The thought of getting the man who he had helped break free of Hydra once back was the only thing keeping him together right now. His nightmares features that bastard speaking Russian to a barely awake James when the masked men had come to collect him. Tony hadn’t been able to move- but he had tried even though it had hurt. The words hadn’t worked, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t put new ones in the other man’s head. Reprogramming.

  
Fuck that, Tony had been able to de-program Jaime when he was only a teen and he didn't have to learn all the crap that he had to in order to help that first time. So it didn’t matter if they put new ones in, he would just tear them out once he had James back where it was safe. When he got his assassin back, nothing was going to stop him from fixing the damage. Nothing. Hydra could suck his dick then go off and finally die, because they had messed with the wrong genius this time. Tony was never going to forgive himself for them getting their slimy paws on him again though. He had promised James this wouldn’t happen, and they had made him into a liar. God Tony hated liars with a fiery passion and now he was one. Hydra would pay for that too.

  
The next step- after making it home with Jaime and fixing whatever mess Hydra had made in his head, was nuking the damn weapons program. This little vacation of his had told him something. Someone was selling Stark Industry weapons to terrorist. They were furthering the conflicts, and he couldn’t let that keep happening. Innocent people were being murdered by the very things his families company had been making to protect. After the program was shut down Tony was going to hunt down every stash of these illegal weapons and destroy them personally. He had enough blood on his hands thanks to whatever bastard had done this. Then the asshole who was making money off those innocents dying was going to go down with a missile shoved up their ass for good measure. That last goal was flexible- if it happened before the stash hunt was done, then that would be good too.

* * *

  
Tony was almost glad to see the scientist get knocked out in a blast. They had enough to worry about right now, they didn’t need to add Yinsen fighting him to the list. Tony didn’t waste the chance, he strapped the other man into an exclosed rig on the suite before getting into the main compartment himself and then the real fight started. He never thought that he would be able to kill someone without hesitation- but it was them or him and his friend. He valued Yinsen and himself more then the bastards that had been trying to force him to build them weapons any day.

  
Once he was clear of the cave, he targeted the stash of weapons and fired, making sure that they detonated before shakily taking to the air. They didn’t make it as far away from where they had been held as he would have liked to, but ever bit of distance counted. Hopefully a friendly found them before they were recaptured- or died from exposure. After the crash Tony forced his tired and hurting body to move so he could get Yinsen out of the rig. He ignored the mental ongoing tally of men he had killed while he did it. He wanted to feel guilty for their death’s but at the same time he hadn’t had a choice. If he had left them alive they would have killed him, or recaptured them.

  
This mental tug of war was probably something that James was familiar with. The former assassin remembered each person that he had been used to kill, and sometimes had nightmares about them. The reminder made Tony wince. His mental health after this was going to be a damn mess and he knew it. But he also knew that if he got James back the other man would be there to help him- once he was able to that is. James would probably have his own demons to deal with from all of this. Tony was good at compartmentalizing though, so maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he was expecting.

  
“What have you done?” Yinsen demanded as he woke up from his stupor. Tony gave him a dry look, holding a hand to his aching chest before deciding that something else was needed. The Genius slapped the other man, before shaking his hand out to sooth the sting.

  
“I save your life damn it. Committing suicide isn’t the answer. And it’s no way to honor those that you’ve lost. Now get yourself together- we may have gotten out of that cave, but we still have to get out of this damn desert alive. It’s still a hell of a long way to civilization, and that suite is toast.” he snapped out, unable to be comforting when they were facing death by elements or recapture. He rubbed his still sore hand over his face as he gathered his thoughts- aware that Yinsen was staring at him and holding his cheek in shock. Tony took another breath- feeling the ache of the arc reactor pressing into his internal organs, before looking at the other man again.

  
“I know that it seems like you have nothing to go on for. It’s going to hurt for a long time… but there is still so much to live for and your family wouldn’t want you to die like that. I need to get out of this desert and find my bodyguard- he was taken somewhere else and I’ll be damned if I let who has him keep him. You’re going to come with me, and when we find the bastard that has been supplying those weapons to people like the guys who had us you’re going to help me kick his ass. He’s the one you want revenge on. You just have to survive so you can get it.” He bit out- trying a different approach. Yinsen’s eyes focused on him and a look of determination passed over his face.

  
“You are no what I expected you to be Anthony Stark.” He murmured, standing up from where he had been sitting and finally giving Tony something to lean on. The genius snorted at his words.

  
“I’m not what a lot of people expect me to be- much to my father’s dismay. The media loves it’s drama though. You get drunk in public once after you’re legal to drink and suddenly you’re an irresponsible lush for life. I tend to stay away from the gossip columns and leave taking on the public opinion on to my P.R. team. James and Rhodey still tease me about it though.” He replied with a weak laugh. Yinsen chuckled softly at that.

* * *

  
James double checked that his Stark Phone was in his pack as the helicopter got in position for his drop. For diplomatic reasons they couldn’t land. Jarvis hadn’t been able to negotiote sending in a search party in the time that they had since he made contact, but James was fine with going alone. If he had to kill anyone, he didn’t need these guys as witness’. He was pretty sure that Jarvis knew that as well. The loophole that they were taking advantage of was the fact that James’ last known location had been here. If he was recovered with Tony no one would blink an eye- unless they were Hydra.

  
He gave his pack one more look over, before strapping it on. He gave the men in the copter a salute, before making the drop. His metal arm creaked as it took the brunt of his fall, and he groaned slightly as his shoulder ached but it was a small price to pay. This way he didn’t have to worry about dealing with a chute after all. He waved off the copter as he stood, before starting his walk in the hot sands.

  
Approximately 30 minutes after his landing he was running towards explosions. That had James’ missing genius written all over it- or he hoped that it did. If Tony was aware and mobile enough there was no way in hell that he wouldn’t be trying to escape. The younger man had been kidnapped often enough as a child to prove that. James had heard fond stories of the child genius saving himself from Jarvis often enough to know that much. He had a bottle of serum with Tony’s name on it tucked into his pack and he fully intended to get it into the other man as soon as possible. 

  
“You’re not what I expected you to be Anthony Stark.” Broke through James’ thoughts. It was spoken in English, but what really caught his attention was his genius’ name. The assassin didn’t register the response to the declaration beyond a mention of Tony’s 21st bash as he forced himself to move faster. He was too relieved to hear that Tony was in the condition to speak to care.

  
“Somehow I think the Funvee lecture is going to replace the recreational drinking one after this Tones.” He choked out as soon as the two men came into view finally. Tony’s head snapped in his direction as he spoke- his beautiful eyes widening and filling with tears.

  
“James. I’m so fucking sorry. They took you again.” Tony whispered, leaning more heavily on his companion. James ignored the other man as he pulled Tony into a hug- needing to reassure himself that he was there as he remembered the blood and the fucking hole he had in his chest. He was careful not to put too much pressure on the other man with that in mind though.

  
“Don’t apologize. You didn’t make this happen, that’s on someone else. You got the worse end of things anyways though Dollface. I just got put on ice until they could get me back to a Chair and that really didn’t end well for them. They never got a chance to use it, I promise. We’re going to call the evac in now, and I’m never fucking letting you have a Funvee again.” He murmured, pressing his face into Tony’s hair and not caring that it was caked with sweat and grime. Tony shuddered in his arms, pressing closer. If the younger man could crawl under his skin, he probably would.

  
“Damn it James. I’m still sorry.” Tony muttered. James huffed, closing his eyes for a moment.

  
“And I still say don’t be. I raided their databases while I was waiting for my own extraction. I fucking saw what they did to you. I saw what happened when they were trying to force the man who paid to have you killed pay more. And If I didn’t think the big boom that you made over there wiped out those bastard I would be heading in to make sure that they were all dead.” The older man murmured fiercely. Tony’s breath hitched as he spoke, and he burrowed even closer to James.

  
It was then that James looked over to Tony’s new stray. The other man was looking at him with suspicion clear on his face, even if it was clear that Tony knew him. There was something protective in his stance, and James wanted to laugh as he realized the other man would try to attack him if it looked like he was going to hurt Tony. Rhodey was right- Tony picked up the most interesting strays.

  
“Whose your new friend Doll?” James asked the limpet in his arms rather then the one he was looking at. Tony laughed brokenly at the question, sounding exhausted.

  
“His name is Doctor Ho Yinsen. Be nice Jaime, he actually saved my life. They brought me into the cave with shrapnel in my chest. He couldn’t get all of it so he had to stick an electromagnet in there and power it with a car battery to keep it from puncturing my heart. I fucking built a mini Arc reactor in that cave to replace it and power our escape route.” Tony replied, his voice fragile as he spoke of his injury. James’ arms tightened just a little as he reminded himself that his genius had survived, that he was right there. So much could have gone wrong during that. They needed to get Tony to a hospital and he needed a chance to give him the serum. Things could still go wrong if that min- arc reactor failed after all.

  
“Thank you Yinsen.” James remembered to say, feeling that it was needed. Tony snorted, and shook his head.

  
“I don’t owe him a damn thing, and neither do you. The asshole over there planned to die when we were escaping. I didn’t let that happen so we’re even now.” The billionaire mumbled, a bit of resentment in his voice. James raised an eyebrow at the doctor, and Yinsen looked uncomfortable. The assassin shook his head, before bending slightly and picking up his genius. He understood wanting things to end, there had been rough times when he was going through recovery when all he could see was the faces of the people that he had been sent to kill. James wouldn’t judge Yinsen, but given what Tony had went through with both of them he was going to have some issues.

  
For once the smaller man didn’t protest to being manhandled. Instead Tony let him pick him up, and settled his head on James’ flesh shoulder- his entire body sagging in relief as James made sure that he wasn’t going to drop him. The assassin almost started walking, but something in Tony’s last statement and the hunk of metal near them made him stop. He examined the metal suit before sighing. They couldn’t just leave this sitting here.

  
Tony had built this… whatever it was. That meant the remains of it were important. If they just left it here then someone might get a hold of it and reverse engineer it. James had listened to enough rants about proprietary technology to know that would be a bad thing. Especially if this thing ran on the mini-arc reactor that Tony had in his chest. That tech was one of a kind- a break through that even Howard Stark hadn’t managed to make. And if it was needed to make that hunk of metal operate then people would try to take it from Tony- even if doing so would kill him. Protecting Tony in the future began with making sure that this thing never saw the outside of Tony’s lab.

  
“It looks like it’s time to direct Rhodey to us so we don’t leave anything behind.” He declared, making sure that his metal arm was secure under Tony’s bum before reaching for his Stark phone. While he was maneuvering he caught a glint of metal, and his impression of Dr. Yinsen rose.

  
“How long have you been armed Doctor?” He asked as his fingers closed around the slim phone. Tony snickered at the question, as a look of shock passed over Yinsen’s face. The Doctor composed himself after a moment, letting the sharpened piece of metal show.

  
“I fashioned it the sixth and final time they waterboarded Stark. I had long decided that whatever the public opinion of him may be, that he did not deserve what was happening to him. They almost killed him that session, and decided to go other routes to persuade him or they would have discovered it when they returned for him.” The other man replied firmly.

  
James felt the familiar rage build again at the reminder of what had happened to his genius. He hadn’t been kidding when he said that he had gotten off lightly compared to Tony. Hydra had not harmed him, they had just taken him to be put in the chair. Tony had been tortured. He shoved that rage back down into it’s little box as Tony shivered in his arms, the people who had hurt Tony here were dead. There was still an asshole back home to take care of and Tony needed care, letting his rage consume him would only delay Tony getting that care. He pressed speed dial on the phone.

  
“Our menace was working on his own way out. He is no longer in hostile hands, though I now have an additional person in need of evacuation and a piece of SI tech that can’t be left laying about. Direct Rhodey to us.” He announced as soon as he heard Jarvis pick up. The older man sighed, relief clear in the noise.

  
“That is very good to hear Sir, so very good to hear. Mr. Stane is in custody, but I’m afraid to admit that he is a bit ruffled. And sadly not by my hand. Howard walked in on me reviewing the evidence that you gathered I’m afraid. He wasn’t please by the deception, arms dealing or hiring of assassins and reacted accordingly when we apprehending the man.” He replied in a dry tone that showed nothing of how he felt.

James laughed a little, picturing the man he had once known going off on the asshole who was behind this. He would probably never really like Howard- especially after hearing about Tony’s childhood, or rather lack of one due to the man’s obsession with Stevie, but it was good to hear that the man actually cared about something other than his missing friend.

  
“Good on Howard, the bastard still deserves to be more than a bit ruffled though. That can wait until we have Tony back home however.” He grunted, feeling Tony’s body go lax as he fell asleep. Or passed out rather, but James was willing to let him have the dignity he needed by calling it sleep. After what he had been through he needed some rest after all. Jarvis hummed.

  
“On that we are in agreement sir. I have directed the search party towards your location. Surprisingly they are not far away.” The butler informed him. James felt a zing of relief shoot through his body as he pressed his face against Tony’s head again. This was going to be over soon, and then they could work on getting Tony better. The fact that the Genius had bits of metal threatening to puncture his heart terrified James. He had seen people die from less in the war. 

  
He didn’t doubt that Tony had planned some sort of list of things to get done once they were stateside, so he would have to act quickly if he wanted to stack the deck for the genius and not be noticed in doing it. James had been enhanced when he was captured that first time- it had been the only reason that he had survived the fall from the train. Given the connection between Hydra and the men who had Tony he had no problem in letting them take the blame for what he planned once someone found out about it. It would be too damned easy to imply in fact.

  
“I suppose that Howard finally remembered that he is a father, if his reaction to Stane is anything to go by?” He asked Jarvis casually. If Howard regretted what he had put Tony through then he was going to be present more. Once the older man found out about James he would be more observant to the changes in his child if that was the case. Jarvis chuckled at the dry question.

  
“Indeed he has. This had been eye opening for him in any case. Shall I inform him of Sir being located now, or wait until the official notification from the search party arrives?” The older man asked, a note of something in his voice. James snorted at the question, pressing a kiss to Tony’s hair.

  
“Tell him now so he is prepared to do what he needs to do or knows to stay the hell away. Tones will need a reminder that he is loved after this. He needs to be able to trust that the people around him are going to be there for the long run, and that they are going to support him. His new friend said that there were six waterboarding sessions before they almost killed him and changed their tactics. If Howard is ready to be a man and support his child, then let him. If he’s a jackass about it then I don’t want him anywhere near Tony.” James decided, being blunt with his demands. If Howard stepped out of line then James would make sure that he knew that he wasn’t welcomed personally. Jarvis cursed at the confirmation of torture, before sighing.

  
“The ones who hurt him are dead correct?” Jarvis asked, his voice tight with barely controlled anger. James grimaced at the question, wishing he could say that he had been the one to kill them. But as he looked at the smoke rising in the distance he knew that this was one more thing that he couldn’t save Tony from. The genius had to kill to get out of there, and James had never wanted that guilt to be something that he had to carry.

  
“Tones escaped with a big bang in a metal suit. What do you think the answer to that is?” He replied after a few moment. Jarvis sighed again.

  
“It’s regrettable that it had to be by his hands, but that is one less danger he will face in the future. You do know that if all goes well with Howard he will be waiting for both of you when you get back to Stateside? Thus far you have wanted to leave who you were before Sir took you in behind, but once he sees you it will be known. And it will not be ignored. That is unavoidable unfortunately.” The older man warned. James made a face at the thought of Howard knowing that he was alive, and what had been done to him over the years. As soon as the other man heard that he had been repeatedly frozen and revived his obsession with finding Stevie would soar to unexplored heights once more. 

  
That fact aside, living as Maddox had been freeing. He had been able to escape any preconceived notions and find out who he was now. It would have been nice if he would have been able to continue living that way, but he didn’t have the possible threat of still active triggers anymore. Seeing Howard wouldn’t be risking the other man’s life, and there was no way in hell that he was leaving Tony’s side. James would have to deal with his life as Barnes being front and center again.

  
“The words didn’t work on me Jay. Any other surviving triggers from my time as a captive are unlikely at this point and I know that. Howard knowing about me isn’t something we can avoid, not unless I’m not with Tony when we land Stateside and I know it. But I’m not leaving Tones. Besides the fact that I’m not a shivering, babbling idiot is just more proof to how amazing Tones is. It also adds to just what Howard has missed out on while he’s been obsessed with Stevie. While Howard has been spinning in circles his son managed to deprogram a brainwashed assassin, you can’t get more amazing then that in my opinion.” He murmured in reply, accepting what was going to happen next. The sound of a helicopter coming close interrupted whatever else may have been said though.

  
“It looks like our ride home is closing in. I better get off the phone before they get here and your secrets spill Jay.” He informed the older man quickly, before hanging up and stashing his phone in a pocket. It would look odd if a newly escaped captive was on the phone with the Stark Butler. The helicopter landed moment later, and the door swung open to reveal Rhodey.

  
“Thank god you’re with him. How is Tone’s doing James?” Rhodey shouted to make himself heard above the noise of the transport as he jogged towards the trio. James grimaced at the question, and the statement while his arms tightened around the smaller man.

  
“He’s been through the works Rhodes, including waterboarding and having an electromagnet installed in his chest in a cave because he has shrapnel close to his heart. We got separated when this all began. I was reunited with my previous captors, but they obviously didn’t get to keep me. He managed to break out on his own- with Yinsen here helping. The Doctor is responsible for saving his life, he managed to get him stabilized when he was stuck in that cave with that chest wound. The suite behind us is SI tech, it comes with. Tones would kill us both if we let anyone get hands on his work.” James reported, slipping into the mindset of a Bodyguard vs friend or assassin. Rhodey looked over Tony with alarm in his eyes and posture.

  
“What is his status right now? He’s not moving James.” He asked sharply. Yinsen chuckled, earning a glare from Tony’s oldest friend. The doctor wasn’t bothered by it though as he stared the other man down. Obviously the guy had balls of steel in his pants, because Rhodes was scary when it came to Tony.

  
“Dr. Stark is as stable as he can be at the moment. He developed something more efficient then the car battery and magnet I had been using to keep the metal from ending his life before we escaped. We have been able to prevent an infection by the grace of god alone, since the conditions in that cave were less than desirable. I think his current lack of awareness stems from the safety James represented. It allowed him to finally rest when he has not had much of a chance to do that since he arrived in the cave.” The Doctor explained. James’ let him do the talking since he had been caring for Tony medically. What he had to say about being able to prevent an infection eased some worry in the Assassin though- that risk had been plaguing him since he remembered all of the blood that had kept pouring out of Tony.

  
Rhodey gave the Doctor a suspicious look though, before motioning the group to get onto the aircraft. As they moved forward two soldiers past them to help Rhodey with the suit. After everything was loaded and settled into place- Tony secured on a cot since he hadn’t stirred- James shared a look with Rhodes. He would have to explain everything to the other man in more detail before they got stateside- more specifically the betrayal of Stane, but for now they would rest and take comfort in the fact that they were going home after three months of hell.


	4. Facing Your Failures Head On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Annnnnnddd Update time!!! I'm trying to be good and space these things out lol

Howard Stark was many things. A man of science, an occasional alcoholic _(Maybe more than occasional, but he would never admit that)_ , and a father full of regrets among them. His belief in everything being able to be explained by data hadn’t stopped him from praying every night since word of the ambush had reached him though. His son was out there in god knows what condition, and it was the only thing he could do beyond fund search parties for yet another missing person in his life. It had forced him to look at what he had done over the years in a different light. He had thought that he was being a good friend, that he was honoring a fallen soldier by wanting to bring him home. But that urge had long reaching consequences.

  
Tony had distanced himself from the family- Maria included- a decade ago when he had gotten into MIT. Howard had foolishly let him. At first he had thought it was a phase, that his son was just rebelling. But the silence had continued, and Howard had decided that his child was just being ornery. That he would come around in his own time, and he would even apologize for how he had acted. That thought process had only changed when the call came about the attack sadly enough.

  
Howard would never forget that day. Six people were confirmed dead, with two missing. It had taken days for all of the bodies to be fully identified, so for that time it was possible that the son he had dismissed was dead. Maria had a break down during that time, and had to be medicated so Howard hadn’t even had his drinks as an escape from the crushing reality. Someone had to be responsible and aware after all. Once it was confirmed that their Tony wasn’t among the dead Howard had to be strong for Maria. Tony wasn’t dead, but he was missing and anything could be happening to him. It was bad enough that they had proof that Tony had been bleeding badly.

  
The months after that found Howards searching for any sign of Tony- his search for Steve all but abandoned for the search for his child. The first sign that this hadn’t been a random attack actually popped up to close to home for comfort. Obi… Stane started putting subtle pressure first on Howard, then more publicly, to have Tony declared dead. The man Howard had considered one of his closest friends talked a good game- bringing the massive blood loss and fact that Tony hadn’t been brought into a hospital anywhere up as his reasoning. But something felt wrong about it. Stane was too eager to have that final label put on Howard’s child, even if he hid that eagerness well enough.

  
It had made more sense just the other day though. That was the day that Howard had walked into the offices’ Jarvis maintained to hear his old friend and employee cursing. It hadn’t taken long to find out just what had shaken the British man. He had screens full of proof that Obadiah Stane was a crook. That the man that Howard had named Tony’s Godfather was the reason that they didn’t know if Tony was dead or alive right now. And that this wasn’t the first time Stane had tried to have a Stark killed. Howard had never felt better about punching someone as he had when he decked his former friend, and he probably never would again.

  
Today was another day that Howard would never forget. Jarvis had just told him that he had gotten word that they had found him. Tony, the son that Howard had failed over and over again, was alive. But he wasn’t exactly well from Jarvis’ description. His son had an electromagnet in his chest that was the only thing keeping the small bits of metal left over from the explosion three months earlier from killing him. If that wasn’t enough the bastards that had kept him in a damn cave had waterboarded him repeatedly. His bright and always in motion Tony had been beaten bloody by those same monsters, but they hadn’t broken him.

  
Tony had kept strong in mind, and managed to get himself and another prisoner out of those caves. He had fought his way to freedom. Howard couldn’t pretend that his boy had gotten his strength from him. By the time that Howard had decided that it was time to make an attempt to continue his legacy and found a woman who was willing to love him despite his obsession or bad habits he didn’t think that he could spare the effort it took to raise a child. 

  
He had left that part of having a legacy to Jarvis, his wife and Maria. Howard was ashamed to admit that the interactions he had with Tony that young often ended badly. Tony was so smart, even at a young age he was light year above his peers, and while Howard should have felt proud of that he had only been annoyed at the fact that the kid thought that he could shadow him in the workshops. Even when he realized that Tony could indeed be a help there he hadn’t wanted the hassle of watching out for a small human and he had acted badly. There had been several incidents where he hadn’t checked whether Tony had the proper equipment on and had actually passed off hot beakers. And instead of being concerned when he realized his mistake, he had yelled at his hurting child for what he had deemed as Tony's mess up.

  
That wasn’t the end of being a bastard to the young boy though. Howard remembered multiple occasions where he would be nursing a hang over and Maria would light into him for shoving Tony away from him while he was drunk and on one occasion hitting his child. That really should have been a wake up call, but he had always shoved it out of his mind. Howard hadn’t been any sort of father to his son if he was honest, and he had a hell of a lot to make up for when it came to his sins against the young man. That was clearer to him then ever now.

  
The biggest sin Howard held close to him- even bigger then the borderline and sometimes outright abuse and neglect had to do with Stane. Howard had been stupid enough to believe the other man when Tony first started proving his genius and Stane had assured him that Tony would be too young to remember the patents that his father had claimed as his own. Stane had been wrong of course. To the day that the ambush had happened Tony had remembered. Thinking about it now? It was not surprising that Tony had run as far as he could when he finally got out of the house and into MIT.

  
Something about all the evidence he had seen because of Jarvis bothered Howard though. The sheer amount of things Stane had done was surprising. And while Howard didn’t doubt that the former MI6 had gathered part of that himself, he knew that if Jarvis had all of that for long, then the man would have ‘disappeared’ years ago. So he had to have gotten his hands on it recently. Howard wanted to know who the hell had handed it over, and if they would be a threat to the family in the future. It never boded well when someone had that kind of information stock piled. They had to have been waiting for something, and Howard couldn’t imagine that it was anything good. 

  
The mystery informant didn’t explain how Jarvis had known about Stane trying to kill him and Maria years ago though. Howard remembered it because Jarvis had increased security without any reason. Howard had needed to get that serum sample to Peggy so she could have it stored, but Jarvis refused to hear it. He had all but called Howard an idiot when the man had argued with him over it. Howard had resented the man for years, because Peggy had to come to him to get the serum. She had enough on her plate at that time- her husband’s death had been not long before.

  
Howard tried to shake himself out of his dark and regretful thoughts. He couldn’t change the past, but he could try to make up for what he had done now. Handing over SI had been his attempt to try and bridge the gap between them, but Tony hadn’t willingly spent any more time with him so that had been a failed exercise and the exasperated father had just let it go. Maria didn’t like it when he pushed Tony when it came to interacting with him- she was fine with his distance as long as he was happy in fact. That was going to have to change now though. Tony was going to need help after what he had been through, and Howard was determined that he was going to be there for him in any way that was needed. Even if it lead to his son throwing things at his head and yelling- he deserved that and more for what he had put the kid through. He looked at Jarvis, and sighed.

  
“I’m trying to not think about it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stop without knowing. The dates of Stane’s first attempt on Maria and me stick out- I remember you ordering the lock down after a ‘credible’ threat had been made against me, and the argument that we had over it. Just how did you know about it? And please don’t try to bullshit me. If you had been sitting on half of this information you would have buried Stane a long time ago.” He asked suddenly- unable to just accept not knowing.

  
Howard had trusted Edwin Jarvis with both his life and the lives of his family for a long time, even though the British man liked to play at just being their butler. But now wasn’t the time to let himself be happy and ignorant about just what the other man did for him and his family. He had a feeling that all of this went deeper then a dirty business man wanting to eliminate them, and he needed to be prepared in case anything else happened. He couldn’t let Tony suffer like this again.

  
His old friend raised an eyebrow at him, but stayed quiet as Howard’s phone started ringing. The eldest Stark shot a dirty look at the other man as he answered it. There was a General on the other end of the line, informing him that his son had been found, and he was in the process of being transported home. Howards dirty look turned into a glare as he thanked the other man before hanging up. All Jarvis did for a moment was smirk at him, a unreadable look in his eyes.

  
“The answer to that lies entirely with your son Howard. Seven years ago Anthony arrived at his apartment, only to find someone waiting for him. The someone had been held captive for a number of years and had their memories tampered with, using a combination of drugs and a sort of… shock therapy as far as we were able to tell. However when they were assigned the job of killing you and Maria, the memories that their captors thought were gone were stirred enough for this person to resist. Only he had to find someone that wasn’t at risk of activating triggers to help.” Jarvis began, and that alone was enough to make Howards mouth dry and his stomach drop. Tony had only been 16 or 17 years old 7 years ago. Too young to be dealing with something like this. Why the hell was this the first time that Howard was hearing about it- triggers be damned his son had been at risk even then. He ignored the voice that taunted him that he might not have batted an eye at the time, even if the taunt was correct he should have been told.

  
“The victim, or would be assassin if you would rather consider him as such had standing orders in regards to anyone related to the SSR and S.H.I.E.L.D.” Jarvis continued, and Howard went still in shock. His feeling was right- nothing related to either of those organizations could just be a dirty businessman. He forced himself to keep listening, even though he wanted to start shouting orders to get Maria and Tony to a safe house. This was not okay- normally the kind of people who would go after the SSR or S.H.E.I.L.D. were the kind of guys that he didn’t want around his family after all.

  
“Anthony was his only connection to those he had known that was safe to approach. The people who held him were interested in either swaying Anthony to their side- or acquiring him by other means later on in life. As such there were orders to not harm him in place. When young Sir informed me of his visitor he had already decided that he was going to help him. I knew that he would not be swayed from his decision, because he is too much like you in that respect Howard. As much as it would pain him to hear that. I had young Mr. Rhodes move into Anthony’s guest room as a sort of security measure, in case something went wrong. It did not.” He finished explaining in a toneless voice. 

  
Howard stared at him in shock and disbelief. Jarvis had actually allowed Tony to adopt a brainwashed assassin, and he had said nothing to Howard. He didn’t know how to react to this. It felt like a massive betrayal of trust. Jarvis had essentially put Tony’s life on the line because the kid decided he was going to play Doctor with the person who had been sent to kill his parents. Anything could have happened during that time, including Howard dropping by Tony’s place and accidently triggering whoever this guy was. As he pushed down the urge to throttle Jarvis where he stood, he found out that he wasn’t the only one unhappy.

  
“You allowed a brainwashed assassin to stay with my underage son, with only one person stationed nearby to even try and help him in case of emergency Edwin Jarvis? What the hell were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all? Or were you indulging Anthony in his latest whim like you are prone to doing?” Maria demanded in a hissed voice, Howard looked over to see her leaning on the doorframe. She was paler then she normally was, but after hearing what their friend just had to say he couldn’t blame her for that reaction. Jarvis turned to look at her- his normally expressive eyes cold.

  
“I am insulted that you think so little of me Maria. I would never chance Anthony being injured. Until his guest was stabilized, and could interact with the public I had a quick response team stationed near his person at all times. I was not merely indulging him on a whim, I did what I always do. I listened to his wishes, and encouraged his endeavors to the best of my ability. He proved quite capable of the task. Because of the implications of who had the poor man that he was helping there was not much he could do in the way of reaching out for help. Instead he applied his own mental abilities to the task at hand- his Doctorates in Psychology is proof of that much. Over the years both Anthony and Mr. Rhodes were able to help the victim work through the programming, and the man was able to fully reintegrate in society without a problem.” Jarvis scolded her, disappointment in her words and reaction clear in his tone. She didn’t back down under his look though, and Howard loved her all the more for it. Maria had never been one to walk away from a conviction after all.

  
“If you think that makes me any happier about the massive mistake in judgement that you made, you are wrong. No matter how advanced or capable Tonio was at the time, he was still a child. Taking care of a man who had been held captive and abused was not a task that he should have taken on.” She shot back. Jarvis remained unmoved by her words as he turned back to Howard. 

  
Edwin wasn’t finished revealing things if the look on his face was anything to go by. Howard had a feeling that he was going to want a stiff drink after this conversation was done, and he wouldn’t be able to have it because he needed to stay clear headed in case anything went wrong with Tony while he was being transported.

  
“I apologize if you and Maria feel that I have overstepped my bounds in regards to how I handled Anthony and his friend. But the man that your son helped find himself after decades of captivity now goes by the name of James Maddox. He is well enough to be the head of Anthony’s personal security, and he was with Sir when the ambush happened. The two of them were the only survivors, and they were separated. Maddox was returned to the people who had held him before, and when they tried to trigger him with specific phrases their attempt failed. While your son helped him recover, whatever triggers they could not remove Anthony reworked in a way that they would never be able to be used again.” Jarvis continued, offering a bland apology for his handling of the situation that he didn’t sound like he meant. Howard didn’t miss the fact that while he finally had a name for the mystery assassin, it wasn’t the man’s true name. Edwin was building up to a big reveal, so Howard must have known this man in more of a passing way. 

  
“Maddox is the one who contacted me after he neutralized his captors. He is the one who provided proof that is was Stane who was behind the ambush, and his assignment to murder you. While he was waiting for his extraction he was able to send me the contents of the servers in that location. Stane has long standing contact with the people who held Maddox, which is disturbing in itself. He was also the one to find Anthony’s location and what he had endured during his captivity within those servers.” The uneasy feelings about just who Stane had gotten in bed with in his quest to acquire SI by murdering the Stark family grew. Jarvis was being vague about whoever it was for a reason- different then his big reveal about who Maddox was. The older man’s entire body tense when he spoke of them, and the look of pity that passed through his eyes meant nothing good. Howard took a breath, dancing around this wasn’t going to help anyone. He needed to know.

  
“You said that the fact that Maddox knew me enabled him to break free of whoever had him. I would like to think that if someone that I was close enough to elicit that kind of reaction from went missing that I would know. The most glaring example of that fact that I can think of is Rogers and my attempts at finding him. Just who was Maddox?” He asked, hoping that Edwin got the hint that he was done tolerating him keeping his secrets and playing this game. Jarvis chuckled at his question, something dark in the noise.

  
“I must admit that I am tempted to let you discover that when the plane lands Howard. Especially given Maddox’s connection to your example.” He replied, a bit of much missed humor finally entering his voice. Howard’s fingers twitched at it all the same though, annoyance filling his veins. He knew that the older man was toying with him, but he didn’t understand why. The older man had long since ceased just being an employee given the fact that he and his wife had helped raise Tony in Howard’s place, but this was one of the few times that he regretted letting that line be crossed. He might trust Edwin with his, and his families lives, now was not the time to be joking.

  
“Edwin, please. I think that we have had enough surprises for a lifetime with the recent events that have happened. Please answer Howard before he does something that he will eventually regret. You know how he gets.” Maria, ever the voice of reason when Howard was at the end of his rope, spoke. Jarvis nodded in her direction, before a serious look settled on his face.

  
“I think that you’re right Madame, Howard does look close to losing his temper.” He replied, before leaning over his desk and typing something in. When he turned the monitor there was a photo on the screen that Howard recognized instantly. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight of it, the implications of Maddox being that man swirling in his head.

  
“Bucky Barnes… Steve saw him fall. He saw him die, because there was no way that a human could survive that impact.” Howard breathed, taking in the differences in the man he had known. Bucky’s hair was longer, and he was sporting a metal arm that made Howard even sicker to his stomach as he imagined how it had been installed. There was only one group who could have recovered this man’s injured body, because it hadn’t been the US or it’s Allies, and they would not have been kind to their prize. Howard wanted to vomit at the thought of Bucky spending all of these years forced to do Hydra’s whim. No wonder why Tony had decided to take him in.

  
“Young James survived the fall barely. As you most likely guessed he was captured by Hydra. At some point a version of the serum that Mr. Rogers revived had been given to him- most likely during his first time in captivity with them. That serum is why he survived the fall in my opinion. Once re-captured he was conditioned and ‘brainwashed’ as Madame put it. He was named the Asset, or the Winter Soldier in various circles and frozen when he was not in use. When he was in use he was used as weapon to eliminate various targets. You and Madame were to be one of them.” Jarvis informed him. Howard fumbled for a chair, before falling into it hard as guilt washed over him.

  
“No one ever gave a second thought to the fact that the fall killed him. He was assumed to be a baseline human at that point, so why would they? And given how he fell, it was also accepted that we would never find his body. Many of our boys that died over there never came home because of lack of access to the remains.” He muttered, before rubbing a hand over his face. “He didn’t have someone looking for him, not like I have been with Steve.” went unheard. A beat passed, and then he looked up, his eyes wide as he connected the dots with Steve’s fall into the ice and how Bucky was stored when not in use. If Bucky could be frozen and brought back…

  
“You said that he was frozen when not in use. Steve.. He went down in the Ice, we assumed that we were looking for a body, but if Bucky could survive that being done over and over again then when we find Steve…” Howard started eagerly, before trailing off as he saw both his Wife and Edwin glaring at him. He was treading on thin ice bringing his obsession up when talking about a man who had been held in captivity and rehabilitated by his son, and he knew it. Now was not the time for this.

  
“In all likelihood Mr. Rogers will be able to be revived upon recovery. Anthony has already theorized on the possibility when they went over Mr. Maddox’s memories.” Jarvis confirmed stiffly, knowing that Howard wouldn’t be able to move off the topic until it has been confirmed, not flinching when Maria’s glare turned on him. She gave a frustrated noise, shaking her head as she did.

  
“Today Steve Rogers stays frozen. Anthony and Mr. Barnes are returning home after three long and traumatizing months. Howard, if you cannot focus on our son and his friend, then I want you to stay here and look for your precious Rogers while I greet them. I’m sure that Tony won’t notice you not showing up for yet another thing relating to him in favor of your obsession after all.” She hissed at him, her eyes narrowed in displeasure and voice full of rage. His eyes widened at the dismissal.

  
“It was an observation Maria, nothing more. I swear. I know that I have a son to take care of, and a friend of an old friend to apologize to and thank for taking care of Tony. I’m sure that he’s going to end up punching me again if he’s heard anything of Tony’s childhood, but I’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” He protested, ignoring the fact that the urge to go out and look for Steve was stronger then ever with the information he had just gotten. He had failed both Tony and Barnes enough with his single minded obsession. Maria didn’t look convinced by his words, and he didn’t blame her. Thankfully they had a plane to catch, and he promised himself that he wouldn’t go back on his promise. Steve could wait, as distasteful as the thought was.


End file.
